This Application relates generally to the field of decorative fountains and more specifically to fountains that create the illusion of an unlimited supply of a beverage being poured from a container into a drinking vessel.
For many years, there has been an interest in fountains that simulate a beverage pouring into a drinking vessel and other novelty fountains. Such fountains seek to create the illusion that a beverage container of limited size is continually dispensing beverage into a drinking vessel while hiding the pump mechanics. One drawback of many of these fountains is that while they are entertaining, they are adapted to particular containers and vessels. A need has remained for a fountain that allows convenient replacement of the containers and drinking vessels to achieve different novelty looks.
The present invention provides decorative fountains, assemblies for fountains and decorative fountain kits. The fountains can be used with bottles of differing sizes and corresponding glasses to create a desired look that can be changed at the whim of the user. Certain aspects of the invention are summarized herein, however this Summary is not to be used to limit the scope of the invention.
Briefly describing one aspect of the invention, an assembly for a decorative fountain is provided. The assembly includes an overflow container defining a reservoir and an outlet in fluid communication with the reservoir. A support surface, which defines one or more apertures, is positioned over the reservoir for supporting a drinking vessel. A support conduit defines a passageway for fluid and has a first end fluidly connected to the outlet and an opposite end defining an aperture. The passageway is in fluid communication with the outlet and the aperture. A bottle inlet is in fluid communication with the support conduit and is configured to mate with an inlet opening defined through the base of the beverage container so that the aperture is in fluid communication with the vessel. A pump is disposed within the reservoir and is operable to pump fluid from the reservoir through the outlet, the passageway and the bottle inlet and into the vessel. A telescoping frame member projects from the support conduit.
In one embodiment, the support conduit includes a support base portion adjacent the first end to support the assembly on a surface. A foot member may be perpendicularly connected to the base portion. The support conduit also includes a vertical portion rising from a turn adjacent the support base portion and the opposite end is turned to position the aperture above the overflow container and in line with the support surface.
The frame is positioned to hold the beverage container angled downwardly in a pouring position with a mouth of the beverage container disposed so that a stream of fluid flowing from the beverage container will fall into the drinking vessel when the drinking vessel is sitting on the support surface. In one embodiment, the frame member includes an inner member slidably supported within an outer member and a securing element for holding the inner and outer members in an adjustable relation to accommodate bottles of differing lengths. In certain embodiments, the securing element for the inner and outer members is a thumbscrew.
A bottle catch member is attached to one of the inner and outer members and configured to rest against a portion of the beverage container in some embodiments. A bottle seat member can be attached to the one of the inner and outer members between the bottle catch member and the support conduit and is positioned to hug a portion of the vessel portion of the beverage container.
In some embodiments, the second container is bottle shaped having a reduced neck portion terminating at a mouth and a shoulder portion between the vessel portion and the neck portion and the bottle securing member is a pair of prongs sized to straddle the neck with the shoulder portion of the second container resting against the prongs. In some embodiments, the inner member terminates with the bottle catch member. The outer member may be connected to the support conduit and the bottle seat member may be attached to the outer member.
In still other embodiments, the bottle inlet has a cross-sectional dimension larger than a dimension of the inlet opening and is composed of a flexible material compressible for placement through the opening of the bottle and resilient to return towards an uncompressed state to establish a frictional relationship between the inlet opening and the bottle inlet to form a fluid tight seal. In certain embodiments, the material of the bottle inlet is transparent.
The present invention also includes fountains employing the assemblies of this invention. The fountains include a first container resembling a drinking vessel and a second container resembling a beverage container. The second container has a base connected to a sidewall forming a vessel portion defining a hollow vessel. An inlet opening is defined through the base of the second container.
The present invention also provides decorative fountain kits. The kits include an assembly of this invention, a set of first containers each resembling a different drinking vessel and a set of second containers each resembling a beverage container corresponding in appearance to one of said first containers. The set of first containers may include drinking vessels resembling at least one of a martini glass, a wineglass, an apertif glass, a brandy glass and a beer glass. The set of second containers may include beverage containers resembling at least one of a liquor bottle, a wine bottle, a liquor bottle, a brandy bottle, a beer bottle, a soda can and a beer can.